New Shop Journey

Speaking of floors, what will you be using?
The only additional flooring treatment beyond the slab will be rubber mats in areas where I stand still for periods of time. I imagine it is some combination of climate, being a native son, good footwear, and good posture (thanks mom) that makes working on the generally unforgiving slab a non-issue for me.

I had thought that I would go for an epoxy or similar treatment. The pandemic having provided me with additional time to research and test things out led me to realize that the benefits were just not there for me. Unintended consequence . . . the savings nearly paid for my HVAC.

With skyrocketing prices I have had to stay flexible on some things. I am doing several things myself that were planned to be farmed out to others in order to pay for things I cannot or really, really do not want to do. The flooring, or lack thereof was an easy savings decision for me.
 
I feel like I'm taking baby steps now. I need a hand to mount and vacuum the mini split but have most everything ready for that. I added a sill cock to the back wall as an afterthought in case I want a hose back there.
New Shop (226).jpg
Someone noticed back when I was putting the attic ladder in that it only had one handrail. Speaking from their experience IIRC they advised adding another so I did that.
New Shop (224).jpg . New Shop (223).jpg
Not the finest metal craft but I claim no expertise there :). Cobbled from scrap.

New Shop (225).jpg
 
I like your metal attic ladder. :thumb: My buddy Jeff has a wooden one going to the upstairs loft at his cabin, and it creaks and groans nearly as much as I do in the morning. (Then again, it's almost as old as I am, too.) Oh, and it was a good move adding the second hand rail to yours.
 

Houston, we have HVAC . . .​

At least Unit 1 is online and fully tested / operational.
New Shop (230).jpg
Cools, Heats, Fan-only, and a Low humidity mode (not a dehumidifier).
New Shop (231).jpg
Everything else on the second unit has gone smoother than on the first (no surprise there) so I hope this trend carries on through the completion of the second unit tomorrow. After that there is just a little this-n-that before the insulation and wallboard can go up.
 
glenn. been away and see your still going forward. o that slab you poured is it covered with walls around it? if not the splash back could cause you trouble on your siding with heavy rains
 
Thanks for the heads up Larry. That pad is for the DC shed. It will have walls and a roof. The 2/12 roof will have eaves and tie in to the existing 5/12 rafters, eaves, soffit structure.
 
A little late to change it, and not a code problem, but for 240 circuits I prefer 2 pole breakers instead of fuses. Actually, for the outside service disconnect a fused disconnect or breaker isn't required. Just a disconnect that breaks both hot leads. My reason for not liking fuses is that when only one blows in a 240 circuit, power is still on from the other. A breaker tripping breaks both hot leads.

Charley
 

Houston, we have HVAC . . .​

At least Unit 1 is online and fully tested / operational.
View attachment 116788
Cools, Heats, Fan-only, and a Low humidity mode (not a dehumidifier).
View attachment 116789
Everything else on the second unit has gone smoother than on the first (no surprise there) so I hope this trend carries on through the completion of the second unit tomorrow. After that there is just a little this-n-that before the insulation and wallboard can go up.
Hi Glenn. Everything is coming out great IMHO. I have a question regarding the aircoditioning unit; I understand that you made the whole installation, but filling it with the cooling gas, did you do it yourself as well or you had to hire a pro to do it? Or did I miss somenthing?
 
Hi Glenn. Everything is coming out great IMHO. I have a question regarding the aircoditioning unit; I understand that you made the whole installation, but filling it with the cooling gas, did you do it yourself as well or you had to hire a pro to do it? Or did I miss somenthing?
The units I ordered come with enough gas in the outdoor units to run the basic line set length and the indoor unit if you vacuum down those components prior to releasing the gas into the combined systems. On these particular units if you use line sets longer than 26 feet (just under 8 meters) or shorter than 16 feet (just under 5 meters) you have to add or remove gas. The gas is sealed inside the outdoor unit via a couple of valves used for this purpose. The gas travels in a loop in this type of system (one that cools and heats with the same components).

The basic steps are to connect the indoor unit to the outdoor unit with the line sets, vacuum the line sets and the indoor unit to a certain level (using gauges made for this purpose) and leave it for a period of time to confirm all is well, release a small amount of gas into the line set and indoor unit and check the positive pressure for a period of time to assure all is well, then open the valves completely and test the full system for heat and cool.

There is a fair amount of other things to do to qualify for the 5 year warranty; take pressure readings while heating and cooling, documenting outdoor, indoor supply, and return air temperatures during pressure readings, and so forth. It took quite a while due to the combination of me never having done it before and being VERY careful. If I goofed and lost or polluted the gas I would have ended up calling a pro to flush and refill the system. That is about a $500 mistake :oops:

P.s. Both of my line sets were within spec. The outdoor and indoor positions were planned to allow me to do this.
 
Last edited:
glenn..re the floor..I bought exercise mat. Interlocking 2x2 squares..works very well.
On Amazon..not home , so no link, but it is 3/4" and comfy. YMMV
 
glenn..re the floor..I bought exercise mat. Interlocking 2x2 squares..works very well.
On Amazon..not home , so no link, but it is 3/4" and comfy. YMMV
I appreciate the info. I have a floor product that I picked up at Sam’s Club of all places. I’ve been using it for over 15 years and still have a few new packs that I picked up when it was on sale at a good price.
 
It is getting so frustrating trying to get materials. To get the siding, roof sheathing, flashing, roofing, and underlay I have had to go to 2 Home Depots, a Lowes and a roofing supply. I am still waiting on some stuff to arrive so I can go and pick it up. I planned to have the DC shed built by now and I haven't even been able to gather all the materials yet :mad:. This is the kind of thing that once you start on it you want to work right through to completion. I don't want to end up with walls standing around waiting for siding and roof materials.
 
It is getting so frustrating trying to get materials. To get the siding, roof sheathing, flashing, roofing, and underlay I have had to go to 2 Home Depots, a Lowes and a roofing supply. I am still waiting on some stuff to arrive so I can go and pick it up. I planned to have the DC shed built by now and I haven't even been able to gather all the materials yet :mad:. This is the kind of thing that once you start on it you want to work right through to completion. I don't want to end up with walls standing around waiting for siding and roof materials.
Not to mention the prices. I've had some irrigation projects where getting the pvc parts has been tricky.
 
Top